1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a multi-banknote cassette with a movable stopper and a banknote stacking method thereof, and more particularly, to a multi-banknote cassette with a movable stopper, which is capable of storing various kinds of banknotes at the same time, and a banknote stacking method thereof. The multi-banknote cassette includes a movable stopper which is installed in a stack guide for guiding banknotes introduced into a cassette body of the banknote cassette toward a banknote stopper when the banknotes are deposited, and rotated to protrude from or retreat into a transfer path of the banknotes. When a banknote having a relatively small size among the banknotes inserted into the banknote cassette is introduced, the movable stopper is rotated to protrude from the stack guide and regulates the front end of the introduced banknote, and when a banknote having a relatively large size is introduced, the movable stopper is rotated to retreat into the stack guide, and a banknote stopper installed at the rear of the stack guide regulates the front end of the introduced bank. Therefore, the banknotes inserted into the banknote cassette are aligned and stacked in a storage space at a separator/stacker, regardless of the kinds or sizes of the banknotes. Such a structure can increase the discharge efficiency of banknotes through the separator/stacker when the banknotes are discharged, and easily handle various kinds of banknotes through one banknote cassette.
2. Related Art
In general, ATM (Automated Teller Machine) refers to an automation device which can assist a basic financial service such as deposit or withdrawal without a bank teller regardless of place and time. Through the ATM, a customer can withdraw or deposit a check and cash using a medium such as a card or bankbook.
Such an ATM can be operated even after the business close time of a bank. Furthermore, the ATM can be installed in various places such as a department store, supermarket and convenience store, and operated in unattended mode. Thus, the number of installed ATMs tends to increase.
Recently, a circulation-type ATM has been widely spread, which circulates banknotes deposited through financial transactions of customers. The circulation-type ATM increases the operability to thereby improve the convenience of use for customers.
The circulation-type ATM includes a deposit/withdrawal part, a banknote detection part, a temporary storage part, a plurality of banknote cassettes, a reject box and a transfer path. The deposit/withdrawal part receives deposited banknotes or discharges banknotes to be withdrawn. The banknote detection part detects the kind of a banknote and determines whether the banknote is normal. The temporary storage part temporarily stores a deposited banknote until a transaction is established. The plurality of banknote cassettes store deposited banknotes for the respective kinds, and separate and discharge the stored banknotes when the banknotes are withdrawn. The reject box collects overlapping banknotes or damaged banknotes among the banknotes discharged from the plurality of banknote cassettes. The transfer path is used to transfer deposited or withdrawn banknotes.
The circulation-type banknote cassette in the above-described ATM has the following structure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the circulation-type banknote cassette includes a cassette body 10, a support plate 20, a separator/stacker 30, a stack guide 40, and a banknote stopper 50. The cassette body 10 forms a storage space 11 for storing banknotes therein. The support plate 20 supports banknotes 1 stacked in the storage space 11 while being lifted or lowered in the storage space 11. The separator/stacker 30 is installed at a banknote entrance of the cassette body 10, and stacks banknotes carried into the cassette body 10 in the storage space 11 or separates banknotes 1 discharged from the cassette body 10 one by one. The stack guide 40 guides the banknotes 1 introduced into the storage space by the separator/stacker 30. The banknote stopper 50 is installed on the opposite wall of the side where the separator/stacker 30 is installed, in the cassette body 10, and regulates the front ends of the banknotes guided by the stack guide 40 such that the banknotes are aligned and stacked in the storage space 11 of the cassette body 10.
In the circulation-type banknote cassette, when a banknote is carried, the separator/stacker introduces the banknote into the storage space, and the banknote introduced into the storage space is guided through the stack guide, and falls into the storage space while the front end of the banknote collides with the banknote stopper installed on the wall surface of the cassette body. During this process, the banknote is stacked over the support plate of the storage space while being aligned with the banknotes stored in the storage space.
Furthermore, when banknotes are discharged from the banknote cassette, the aligned and stacked banknotes are separated one by one through the separator/stacker, and then transferred through the transfer path outside the banknote cassette.
The ATM may include a plurality of banknote cassettes for various kinds of banknotes, or handle various kinds of banknotes through one banknote cassette in some cases. Recently, the use of a multi-banknote cassette capable of storing and handling various kinds of banknotes at the same time has increased in order to improve the utilization convenience of the ATM and to reduce the size of the ATM. The banknote cassette for various kinds of banknotes can store different kinds of banknotes at the same time.
The sizes of banknotes used in Korea are similar to each other. Thus, no problems may occur when one banknote cassette handles various kinds of banknotes. In other countries, however, various kinds of banknotes may have significantly different sizes from each other. In this case, when the conventional banknote cassette is applied to handle various kinds of banknotes, serious problems may occur.
That is, since the conventional banknote cassette uses one fixed banknote stopper, the conventional banknote cassette has difficulties in aligning and storing various kinds of banknotes having different sizes. Therefore, when the banknote cassette handles various kinds of banknotes having different sizes, various troubles such as jam may occur while the banknotes are circulated.
For this reason, Republic of Korea Patent No. 1,250,657 has disclosed a banknote cassette for various kinds of banknotes, which has two separate storage spaces in order to store two kinds of banknotes having different sizes in one cassette. In this case, however, the banknote cassette must have two storage spaces, two support plates and two separators/stackers. Therefore, the utilization efficiency of the space in the cassette is degraded while the manufacturing cost of the cassette is increased.